This invention relates to a clock, and more particularly concerns a clock whose face is provided with a centered representation of the sun and a sphere which represents earth and rotates about the face with movement of the time-indicating hands.
Conventional techniques for displaying time are well known to all and include numerical displays, rotating hands, and the like. Clocks which further provide moving displays for educational purposes or visual attractiveness are also well known. The depiction of aspects of the solar system on clock faces has been disclosed, but such clocks are either of complex construction or involve minimal movement of the visually attractive components.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,864 discloses a clock wherein a spherical representation of the earth is caused to rotate about a stationary central depiction of the sun. During such rotation, the earth sphere also spins on its axis, thereby providing a realistic display of actual solar system motions. However, the earth sphere of said patent is constrained to rotation in a manner wherein the earth's axis is constantly oriented toward the center of the sun, thereby erroniously causing the earth's south pole to be continually directed toward the sun. Furthermore, the clock of U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,864 provides for only one axial rotation per orbital revolution about the sun, and does not depict other important aspects of the solar planetary system.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a clock which realistically depicts movement of the earth around the sun.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a clock as in the foregoing object wherein the earth is represented by a sphere which undergoes numerous axial rotations while undergoing a single orbital revolution around the sun.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a clock of the aforesaid nature which additionally demonstrates interrelationships of other planets of the solar system.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a clock of the aforesaid nature amenable to economical manufacture by way of simple modification of clocks of conventional design.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.